In 2002, Parveen Saeed of Surjani Town in Pakistan heard a news story about a woman who had murdered her two children with her own two hands.
The distraught mother did not have enough money to buy food to feed the children. She couldn’t bear to watch her young children slowly starve to death without means to help them.
So, she did what no mother can ever imagine: She killed her children.
She isn’t the only mother in Pakistan to do such a thing either.
According to the World Food Programme, 37% of Pakistan faces food insecurity and 21% is undernourished. As a result, 44% of children under five suffer from stunted growth.
A whopping 82% of Pakistani children don’t eat the minimum amount of meals each day.
Vulnerable groups in rural areas – especially women – are at an increased risk of extreme poverty.When she heard the story of the mother killing her starving children, Parveen thought to herself,
“Surely Pakistan has enough food so that no one needs to go hungry.”
That’s when she decided to launch Khana Ghar (House of Food) to feed Pakistan’s most vulnerable.
Parveen set up a dhaba (roadside restaurant) in the neighborhood of Khuda Ki Basti in Karachi where she supplies a full meal to anyone who wants to eat – for only 3 rupees (less than 2 cents in USD). At first, Parveen funded the Khana Ghar dhaba with her own money and all the sporadic donations she could get.
We’re happy to announce the One Ummah Foundation’s partnership with Parveen and Khana Ghar.
This important program will help the people of Faisalabad and Karachi, Pakistan, eat while retaining dignity.
Parveen manages to feed about 2,000 people each day and provides stable employment to a handful of workers, alhamdulillah.
Like One Ummah Foundation, Parveen recognizes that poverty cannot be abolished or systemically addressed without targeting the root problems – such as stable work and widespread government policy.
Parveen calls hunger Pakistan’s “worst weapon of mass destruction and the root cause of evil.”
That sounds about right to us.
Inshallah, we hope to raise an initial $3,500 to upgrade Parveen’s tandoor oven so she can continue supporting the needy. Our ongoing goal is to raise $3,000 per month to support Parveen’s critical mission, inshallah.
This humble woman is doing Allah’s work and deserves our help. Your small one-time or ongoing donation can have a massive impact on bringing hope to the people of Pakistan.